Protesters gather at the Cornell University campus earlier this month to urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to prohibit high-volume hydraulic fracturing in New York.

Written by

Jon Campbell
Journal Albany bureau

A year ago, ExxonMobil, one of the largest companies in the world, quietly bankrolled a $2 million public-relations campaign in New York, calling on the state to allow shale-gas drilling through a series of full-page newspaper ads and 60-second radio spots.

At the same time, the Park Foundation, an Ithaca-based philanthropic fund, was giving dozens of smaller grants to groups that are opposed to or critical of hydraulic fracturing and unafraid to be vocal about it.